The God Honoring Family (Series Wrap)

INTRODUCTION

We have spent 5-weeks now on The God Honoring Family mini-series

Could of gone deeper

Could of gone longer

Whet your appetite for more study on these matters.

Excellent resources

The Exemplary Husband (Stuart Scott)

The Excellent Wife (Martha Peace)

The Joy of a Word-Filled Family (John Barnett)

As we wrap-up our time on this topic, I want to draw your attention to an amazing (and challenging) fact that we find in Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church.

Read Ephesians 5:22-6:4

The family unit had its origin at the beginning of creation, about 6,000 years ago... and is a picture of Christ and His Church, which was manifest about 2,000 years ago.

That means 4,000 years before the Word became flesh, and Peter preached repentance at Pentecost, God gave us a veiled revelation of the relationship between Christ and His Church

George W Knight - Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood Paul saw that when God designed the original marriage He already had Christ and the church in mind. This is one of God’s great purposes in marriage: to picture the relationship between Christ and His redeemed people forever!

Thus, the family unit is to be a reflection of the relationship of Jesus and His Church

It’s no wonder that the family has been under attack for so long in our country.

Men have forsaken their responsibilities in the home as the family’s primary leader, provider, protector and educator.

Women have largely abandoned their most important duties at home—being a supportive helpmeet and loving mother—in pursuit of their own ambitions.

Without a strong parental influence at home, children have become easy targets for evil forces

Premarital sex is seen as inevitable for teens, bringing about government-sponsored sex education teaching young people to be “safe” once they become sexually active.

Abortion is a “convenient” end to an inconvenient “set of circumstances.”

The LGBTQ agenda is seeking to normalize their re-definitions of:

Marriage

Family

Gender

Richard Baxter, Puritan What speedier way is there for the depraving and undoing of the people, than the depravity of their guides?

In the original context, Baxter was dealing with the dangers of a church putting up with a minister’s vices.

Broadening the application to the family unit is appropriate

The family unit is the primary guide in the life of a child

Let’s return to our text in Ephesians 5 and see the overview of what The God Honoring Family looks like through the lens of Jesus Christ and the Church.

Wives, Be Submissive To Your Husband

Ephesians 5:22-24

As to the Lord does not mean that a wife is to submit to her husband in the same way she submits to the Lord, but rather that her submission to her husband is her service rendered “to the Lord.”

By subjecting herself to her husband’s leadership, she is serving God through the proper example, which is a…

Picture of Christ’s headship in the Church and the Church’s submission to Christ

God has given the man pre-eminence, as shown:

Through the creation mandate (man & woman) Genesis 1:28 God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Through creation order (man over woman) 1 Timothy 2:12–13 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve.

Through the curse on the woman (woman submitting to man) Read Genesis 3:16 and Genesis 4:7

The woman’s desire would be contrary to or toward [her] husband.

Same word as in Genesis 4:7, when talking about sin’s desire for Cain

In both cases, it is speaking of a desire to have rule over someone else

The woman’s fleshly desire (i.e. sin nature) is to rule over her husband. She craves power and influence for herself.

For thousands of years, there have been movements in societies all over the world to give women more opportunities and equal footing with men; particularly in giving them positions of authority over men.

The fallout, especially in the United States, has been weakened and broken homes where women are posturing themselves as the leaders and decision makers (i.e. the strong independent woman).

Matthew Henry If man had not sinned, he would always have ruled with wisdom and love; and, if the woman had not sinned, she would always have obeyed with humility and meekness; and then the dominion would have been no grievance: but our own sin and folly make our yoke heavy.

The Apostle Paul shows that as the church is in submission to Christ, so also a wife should be to her husband.

It would be foolish to think of the church being head over Christ.

[Though, examples abound where churches are man-centered rather than Christ-centered]

REMEMBER: Submission does not mean inferiority.

The woman is not made inferior to her husband through this act of submission

It means that she recognizes that her husband is the head of the home and responds to him accordingly without usurping his authority to herself.

John 14:15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

Jesus is the Rabbi whom the Disciples are following

They submit to His teaching and expectations, not the other way around

A wife’s submission in no way hints that a husband may lord it over his spouse, as a despot commanding a slave.

Rather, as Paul continues…

Husbands, Love Your Wives

Ephesians 5:25-33

Picture of Christ loving the Church

The verb “love” (ἀγαπάω) is not only unselfish, but it is also self-sacrificing for the good of another

Ultimate fulfillment: Jesus on the cross

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The marriage relationship is defined as two flesh becoming one.

The man and woman lose their individual identities and work/live together as one unit

This action belongs to both man and woman, but the man (as the head of the home) is to lead by example.

The act of loving his wife plays out in the…

Picture of Christ sanctifying the Church

The husband, in seeking the highest good for his wife, is to lead her in ways that will point her to Christ and further her sanctification.

This is the most loving thing that he can do

John 5:14 - the man healed at the pool of Bethesda See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.

John 8:11 - the woman caught in adultery Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.

Jesus’ desire for His disciples is that they no longer live in sin

Thus, sin must be confronted and purged regularly

Luke 9:23 - Jesus’ call for daily dying to self If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

As we strive to follow Jesus, and God conforms us to His image, we must deny our flesh and daily crucify our sinful desires.

A loving husband and father will encourage and support his wife and kids in this endeavor.

This, practically speaking, is a…

Picture of Christ nourishing and cherishing the Church

Just as the first Adam was joined to his wife and they became one flesh, so also the last Adam is joined to his bride so that they are one with Him.

Keeping in mind that the two become one flesh in a marriage, the husband must consider his wife an extension of his own body

Genesis 2:24/Ephesians 5:31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

1 Corinthians 7:4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

Men care for their bodies even though they are imperfect.

Jesus cares for His Body, the Church, even though they are imperfect.

Husbands should care for their wives though they are imperfect.

Children Obey and Fathers Instruct

Ephesians 6:1-4

Picture of discipleship in the Church

The obedience of a child to their parents is well pleasing to the Lord (Colossians 3:20)

Jesus set the example for children by obeying Joseph and Mary

Luke 2:51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

Fathers are not to provoke their children to anger by unreasonable demands, petty rules, or favoritism. Such actions cause children to become discouraged.

Colossians 3:21 Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.

Instead, fathers are expected to bring up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.

1 Corinthians 10:11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Chuck Swindoll A family is a place where principles are hammered and honed on the anvil of everyday living.

The Lord is to be the center of our relationships and the center of our teaching and learning.

CONCLUSION

But He cannot be the center if you do not know Him, yourself.

The God of all creation… our Savior and Redeemer… has left for us examples of His mercy and grace.

One such example is that of the family unit.

Maybe you grew up in a family where these relationships were evident:

The wife submitting to her husband as the head

The husband loving his wife sacrificially

The children obeying their parents

But to you, it was simply a societal construct… a design that is antiquated and needs to be updated for the 21st century. A design that had no rhyme or reason to it.

But as has been made clear today, the design is very much intentional

It was determined from the very beginning of Creation, by our almighty Creator, in order to glorify His Son (Jesus Christ) and His Body, the Church.

Maybe you grew up in a family, or without one, where these relationships were perverted or broken.

A home where one or both parents were absent or self-absorbed

A home where two moms or two dads were present, corrupting the God-given intent of marriage

A home empty of God-honoring love and care

To you, the family unit was dead and useless. It was about whatever you could get to benefit yourself, and not others.

There is a Savior, Jesus Christ the Righteous, who died to pay the penalty for that sinful situation and to set the record straight.

The family unit is supposed to be a loving and caring environment that points people to Christ

It is not too late to repent from your life of sin and unrighteousness and turn to the God who offers salvation through His Son.

Romans 10:9–10 if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Turn to Him and be saved. Turn to Him, and become part of a family that brings glory to our Savior. Turn to Him, and begin walking in His ways, that others may be pointed to Him, too.